Ramesh the man who gave teeth to environment ministry

Ramesh the man who gave teeth to environment ministry

Shifted from the environment ministry, Jairam Ramesh was an activist minister who gave teeth to it and credited with bringing about a change in government's approach to progress and development but he courted controversies as well.

A no-nonsense high profile minister, Ramesh (57), an IIT alumnus and an environmentalist, was perhaps the country's first independent thinking environment minister who almost single-handedly put ecological issues on the top of UPA government's agenda.

But Ramesh often turned out to be the nemesis of development enthusiasts, especially promoters of big projects which had an environment cost, who felt his ministry was essentially an obstacle since he took over the ministry in May 2009 as part of UPA II government.

Ramesh the man who gave teeth to environment ministry

On another occasion, Jairam termed wearing of gowns at convocations as a "barbaric colonial practice" and publicly shrugged off the gown he was wearing at one such function.

Ramesh, who was seen as a pro-active minister but often courted controversies by his handling of environmental issues, has been shifted to Rural Development in the Cabinet.

A darling of environmentalists, Ramesh became increasingly assertive and was often accused of delaying the construction of dams, power and steel plants and mining projects in the country on environmental and forest issues.

He has also spoken out strongly against fuel-guzzling big cars.

The minister's defence has been that there is a need to balance development with the preservation of the environment.

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Image: Jairam Ramesh and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Ramesh the man who gave teeth to environment ministry

In the view of the technocrat turned politician, what is being asked is that procedures has to be followed and that laws have to be abided.

Posco and Vedanta projects in Orissa and Maheshwar dam in Madhya Pradesh were cited as examples by the critics. Some of his policy decisions often pitted him against big business and his ministerial colleagues.

However, some recent decisions have also been criticised by environmentalists - he gave the go-ahead to a new Mumbai airport and a nuclear power station in Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

During the climate talks in the Mexican city of Cancun, Ramesh fuelled further controversy when he suggested India might be willing to accept binding cuts in carbon emissions - something it has opposed until now.

Ramesh the man who gave teeth to environment ministry

Critics also feel that Ramesh during his ministerial stint sometimes ends up playing to the gallery.

On one occasion, the alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology blamed fans of fictional boy wizard Harry Potter for their role in the dwindling number of wild owls.

He had said that Harry Potter books and films featuring his feathered friend Hedwig were so popular in India that they had contributed towards the demise of owls, because people were buying them from illegal bird traders.